A Consideration of Geosynthetic-Reinforcement on Bearing Capacity of Cohesive Soils

Abstract

In this study, a series of laboratory two-dimensional model tests were carried out using geosynthetics and cohesive soils. Several geowovens of different tensile strength were laid on the surface of and at the given depth of soft clay ground. The deformation of the ground under strip loadings were observed and the interface friction between geosynthetics and cohesive soil was determined. A mechanism of geosynthetic-reinforcement on the bearing capacity of clay ground was considered and the evaluation method was proposed based on the modified Terzaghi's bearing capacity theory.
As the experimental results, a ground surface deformation can be expressed in the from of a quadratic equation and the radius and the tangent of surface deflection can be taken more accurately than the conventional methods. It was found that the role of hammock's effect is significant. Moreover, it was observed that the reinforcement of geosynthetics did not displayed at the deeper place than a certain laying limit.